Remote control of guns in elevation and train



2:5, 16 G. E. TWINING ETAL 2,397,172

REE'WTE CONTROL OF GUNS IN ELEVATION AND TRAIN Filed July 26, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 flag/ WA: flea-r362 wuwzg (7411105 Iforrazzce ddvrney 26,1946. G. E. Twmme ETAL 2,397,173

REMOTE CONTROL OF GUNS I N ELEVATION AND TRAIN Filed July 26, 1938 2 sheets -sheet '2 MIIllllllllllllljlllll) Patented Mar. 26, 1946 REMOTE CONTROL OF GUNS IN ELEVATION AND TRAIN George E. Twining, United States Navy, Floral Park, and James J. Torrance, Lynbrook, N. Y.

Application July 26, 1938, Serial No. 221,462

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to means for causin a gun or other heavy object to follow the movements of a remotely located directing T controlling device capable of transmitting only a weak signal to the vicinity of the object to be moved.

While the present disclosure deals only with the application of the invention to the moving of guns, it can, nevertheless, be used in connection with other heavy objects, such as ships rudders, which must be moved in response to the operation of a remotely located controlling device.

In carrying out the present embodiment of the invention, use is made of conventional self-synchronous transmitters and receivers, the transmitters being located in the directing station and the receivers being placed at the gun. The receivers carry screened sources of light which, on being moved by movement of the receivers, change the illumination on hoto-electric cells which control the operation of motors connected to drive the gun in elevation and train.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic showing of the electrical circuits employed.

Fig, 2 is a diagrammatic showing in elevation of the follow-up mechanism; and

Fig. 3 is an elevation showing a receiver unit with a screened light source mounted thereon and the accompanying photo-electric cells which are acted on thereby.

The system utilizes one set of self-synchronous transmitters and receivers for elevating the gun and one set for training it. Since both sets are identical in construction and operation, only one set is shown, which may be either that used for elevation or for training.

Referring to Fig. 1, each set consists of two transmitters l and 2, located in the director station. Each transmitter comprises a stator 3 or 4 and a rotor 5 or 6. The stators are of the threephase type and are connected by leads l5, l6, ll and I8, I9, 20, to stators of corresponding receivers l and 8 at the gun station. The rotors 5 and 6 of the transmitters and II and I2 of the receivers are connected to a source of single phase alternating current by lines l3, I4. The rotors 5 and 6 of the transmitters are geared together and to the director, the rotor 6 moving at a 1 to 1 ratio with the director and the rotor 5 moving at a 36 to 1 ratio. Movement of the rotors 5 and 6 of the transmitters will cause rotors II and 12 of the receiver to move in synchronism therewith. The rotors l I and I2 have shafts 2| and 22 attached thereto on which are mounted zero reading dials 23 and 24. The receivers l and 8 will be henceforth designated as fine and coarse receivers, respectively.

Also mounted on shafts 2| and 22 for movement therewith are cylindrical screens 25 and 26, each containing a source of light such as the lamp 55. The screens have rectangular cut-out portions such as 21 and 28, shown in Fig. 3. The cut-out portions are spaced axially along the surface of the screen and their adjacent longitudinal sides lie along the same axially extending element of the cylindrical screen, as shown in Fig. 3. Fixedly supported adjacent the cut-out portions of the screen are two photo-electric cells such as 29 and 30. When the zero-reading dial 23 lies in its central or neutral position, both cells 29 and 30 will be equally illuminated. If the screen is turned to one side the illumination on one cell will increase and cause it to be energized, while the illumination on the other will be decreased. The coarse receiver has photo-electric cells 3! and 32 arranged in the same manner adjacent screen 26.

Each photo-electric cell is connected through a sensitive relay to an industrial rela which, when energized, connects the armature 52 of a gun moving motor 55 across the lines 53, 54 of a D. C. source of supply. Takin the cell 29 for example. the leads 33 connect it through sensitive relay 31 to industrial relay 42. This circuit is supplied with current by batteries 4|. When the screen 25 is turned so as to increase the illumination on cell 29, the relay is closed, which energizes relay 42 to close relay 5| and thus place the armature 52 or motor 55- across the line 53, 54. This will result in movement of the gun in one direction. Movement of the gun in the opposite direction is controlled by cell 30. When the illumination on this cell is increased, the sensitive relay 39 will be actuated, connecting lines 34 to industrial relay 44, which, when energized, will close relay 59 and thus connect the armature 52 across the line 53, 54 in the opposite direction to its connection when cell 29 was energized.

The fine receiver controls actuation of the gun over an arc of 10 degrees of difference between the position of gun and director. Should the difference in position exceed this amount, the coarse receiver 8 assumes control. This is accomplished in the following manner:

The photo-electric cell 3| is connected b lines through sensitive relay 38 to industrial relay 43. This relay is connected by a mechanical interlock to relay 42 in circuit with cell 29. The interlock consists of a pivoted lever 49. The relay 43 is stronger than relay 42. When a positional difference of more than degrees exists between gun and director, the screen 26 will be moved enough to cause cell 3| to become energized and the relay 43 will close, opening relay 42. The cell 32 is connected by lines 36 through sensitive relay 4!! to relay 45 and bears the same relation to cell 3! as cell 38 does to cell 29. The mechanical interlock 48 connects relays 45 and 44 serving th same function as relay 46. r

The follow-up mechanism is shown in Fig. 2.

This mechanism causes the return to neutral of the receiver dials and the stopping of motor 55 when the positional difference between gun and director has been overcome. The stator 9 of fine receiver 1 has fixed thereto a gear which forms part of a gear train connecting the stator with the 55 will be stopped.

It is obvious that this system of control can be utilized in many different embodiments, even though but one has been described. For example, the motor 55 might be used to position the swash plate of a variable speed hydraulic power transmission. The scope of the invention is to be restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes, without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is:

1. In a remote control system for causing a heavy object to follow the movements of a remotely located director; a self-synchronous system for transmitting the angle of the director, comprising a fine and a coarse transmitter located in the transmitting station, each transmitter comprising a stator and a rotor, the rotor of the fine transmitter being connected to move in a multiplied ratio to the movement of the director, the rotor of the coarse transmitter being connected to move in a one-to-one ratio therewith, a coarse and a fine receiver located adjacent the heavy object, each receiver comprising a rotor and a stator, each rotor being-connected to move in synchronism with the rotor of the corresponding transmitter, a motor connected tomove the heavy object in either of two directions, a first armature circuit adapted when closed to connect the armature of said motor across a supply line to cause said motor to move in one direction, a second armature circuit adapted when closed to connect the armature of said motor across said supply line in the reverse manner to cause said motor to move in the opposite direction, a source of light located adjacent each receiver rotor, an apertured screen mounted for movement with each of said rotors, a pair of photo-electric cells mounted adjacent each screen and normally shielded from said source of light by said screen, the first cell of each of said pairs of cells forming part of a first relay circuit connected to and adapted to close said first armature circuit, said relay circuit comprising two relays, each connected to one of said cells, said relays being mechanically interlocked in such a manner that when one relay is closed the other is opened, the relay connected to the cell adjacent the coarse receiver being strong enough to open the relay with which it is interlocked, the second cell of each of said pairs of cells forming part of a second relay circuit connected to and adapted to close said second armature circuit, the relays of said relay circuit being interlocked in the same manner as those of said first relay circuit, the apertures of said screens being so arranged that movement of the director out of line with the heavy object in either direction will cause movement of said screens in the corresponding direction to illuminate the proper cell of each of said pairs of cells to produce movement of said motor in a direction to move the heavy object into line with the director, the illumination of the cells adjacent the coarse receiver occurring only after a predetermined difference of alignment has occurred, and a follow-up mechanism driven by the heavy object to reposition said receiver stators and thereby bring said rotors to neutral position when the position of the heavy object corresponds to that of the director.

2. In a remote control system for causing a heavy object to follow the movement of a director, coarse and fine transmitters for transmitting the angle of movement of the director, coarse and fine receivers actuated thereby, each of said receivers comprising a rotor and a'stator, a screen mounted on each of said rotors to turn therewith, a source of light within said screen, a pair of photoelectric cells adjacent each of said screens, an electric motor connected to move said heavy object, the first of the cells in said pair of cells being arranged, when energized, to cause said motor to run in one direction, the second of the cells being arranged, when energized, to cause said motor to run in the reverse direction, said screen having apertures therein, so arranged that movementof the screen in one direction causes the first of said cells to .be energized and movement of the .screen in the opposite direction causes the second of said cells to be energized, and follow-up mechanism driven from the heavy object to reposition said stator and thereby bring said rotor to rest in a neutral position with respect to said cells when the position of the heavy object corresponds with that of the director.

3. In a motor control system for reversibly controlling the movement of a motor in response to a remotely located control element, wherein coarse and fine indicators are used to indicate the movement of the control element; a first armature circuit which when closed causes rotation of the motor in one direction, a second armature circuit which when closed causes rotation of. the motor in the opposite direction, a relay circuit controlling the closing of each of said armature circuits, each of said relay circuits comprising two relays, said two relays being interlocked so that closing of one causes opening of the other, one of said two relays being strong and the other being weak, said strong relay being strong enough to force opening of the other, a source of light adjacent each of the indicators, an apertured screen mounted for movement by each of the indicators, a photoelectric cell in circuit with each of said relays and adapted to actuate said relay when energized, each'of said strong relays having its photoelectric cell located adjacent the screen of said coarse indicator in such relation thereto that movement of the screen in either direction will cause selective illumination of one of said cells and each of said weak relays having its photoelectric cell located adjacent the screen of said fine indicator for operation in the same manner.

4'. In a motor control system for controlling a motor supplied with means for reversibly connecting the armature thereof across a supply line, and utilizing a first or coarse indicator moving in a one-to-one ratio with a control element and a second or fine indicator moving at a multiplied ratio thereto; control means comprising means for movably directing a beam of light, one of said means being mounted for movement by each of said indicators, a pair of photo-electric cells mounted adjacent each of said light directing means, means connecting a first cell of each pair to initiate the driving of said motor in one direction, means connecting the second cell of each pair to drive the motor in the opposite direction, said connecting means of said first cells being so arranged that the energizing of the cell adjacent the light directing means of the coarse indicator will operate to exclude the other cell from control, said connecting means of said second cells being arranged in the same manner, said light directing means being so arranged that the cells governed by the coarse indicator will be energized only after said fine indicator has moved through a. predetermined range of movement.

GEORGE E. TWINING.

JAMES J. TORRANCE. 

